The smallest backpack on the list (35L) but don’t let that fool you – you can fit a lot in this pack. Video to prove it.

There is a lot of buzz surrounding this company and backpack. Rightfully so, the “Brothers Minaal” completed a record breaking Kickstarter Campaign. The Minaal is the only pack on the list that comes with a rain cover – while not a crucial feature, it will save you the hassle of finding a 3rd party rain cover (if that is important to you). This sexy backpack is feature rich and has the best overall design – if Steve Jobs was a 25 year old digital nomad, he would choose this pack.

In 2016, Minaal launched their carry on backpack 2.0 and a daypack on Kickstarter to the tune of $700k. They also expanded to include packing cubes, modular hip pads, and accessories. Minaal is here to stay. Full product line at Minaal.com

Potential downside: The Minaal doesn’t have hip pads which means if you have a heavy pack and plan to wear it for long periods of time it might start to hurt your shoulders. They went for a minimalist design (which I appreciate). In my experience the lack of hip pads didn’t negatively impact my experience.

2018 update: Started using the Minaal for weekend trips and shorter backpacking trips. Although it’s only 35L it fits a surprising amount thanks to the minimalist design. It’s sleek, it’s sexy, has great handles, and I love using it.

The Farpoint is sleek and the lightest pack on the list. Not a huge deal, but every ounce counts. The Farpoint 40 comes in two sizes: M/L for the guys (and girls over 5’ 8”) and S/M for everyone else. Osprey is my favorite brand on the list because time and time again they create awesome gear (been using their Aether 70L for back-country camping excursions for years). Note: If you’re less than 5’3” – look no further, this IS your pack. Get the S/M size and you’ll never look back.

Potential downside: Without a side holster spot for a yoga mat, you’ll have to get creative with your yoga mat if that’s important to you.

This is one bad-ass backpack. Originally designed for military use – anticipate a rugged designed build to last a lifetime (you can even get it in camo color). It looks great and is practically indestructible, but a few things held me back from purchasing. The GR2 is by far the most expensive backpack on the list and also the only one without hip pads or the option to zip away the back straps. Although an awesome backpack; probably not my first choice for digital nomads.

Potential downside: Price tag ($395) and lack of hip pads could make long walks to find your hostel miserable.

Fred and Jeremy were frustrated with the backpack market so they decided to create their own bag. If you ask me, they did a mighty fine job designing the Tortuga V2. In terms of size, it’s the second largest on the list (44L) yet maintains its carry-on friendly status for most airlines. The Tortuga’s hip belt has the best padding I’ve seen in this class of backpacks. The internal compression straps were a nice touch and will help you maximize space.

Potential downside: it only comes in one size, while it fit me great (6’3’’) it was uncomfortable on Anne’s smaller frame (5’2’’)

You already know I love Osprey. The Porter is the largest pack on the list (46L), extremely light and also the cheapest. I personally do not like this design, but many people use it. If you want to save a few dollars, don’t need an easy access laptop compartment or a padded hip belt, you found a bag that will do the job!

Potential downside: Hip belt has no padding and there isn’t a laptop compartment which to me is unacceptable for long term travel

2018 update: they’ve come out with an updated design and I haven’t had a chance to test it out. It looks way better, feature set improved, and increased the price to $139 which seems fair. If you have experience with this pack please share in the comments below!

This Toronto based company is the new comer on the scene. After a successful Kickstarter Campaign, they moved into full production. I was fortunate enough to receive an early run of the product to test out. It has all the features we need – laptop compartment, clam shell design, enough space while staying carry-on compliant, and looks great too. As with all new products, durability is a question as no one has owned the bag long enough 🙂

Happy to say it’s an excellent product and is contenting with the Tortuga V2 and the Minaal as my favorite carry on backpacks for digital nomads or travelers.

2018 update: Brandon still uses the Tortuga most of the time but rotates in the Minaal for shorter trips. Anne still loves her Farpoint. We’ve been traveling with the Tortuga, Minaal, and Farpoint since 2014/2015.

Yoga Sak is designed as a yoga travel bag with a central strap to secure your yoga mat. This makes commuting by bike very comfortable. There is plenty of space to carry the necessities but don’t plan on fitting your entire home studio into the backpack. Nice looking design. Steel Grey and Navy are my favorite color options.

Yet again, our friends at Manduka nailed it with a backpack for yoga mat transporting. Great design, breathable fabric, multiple pockets to keep you organized, and padded strap. Can choose from two sizes, Small will work for most yoga mats and the large fits anything, including their Manduka Black Mat Pro. It only comes in one color, Black. Good thing that’s my favorite color.

This would also be a great yoga mat backpack for biking in case that’s your thing.

Another backpack with yoga strap, except this time the yoga mat is attached vertically on the side of the backpack. Fits a ton of stuff while still maintaining a slim profile. The most purchased yoga backpack on Amazon with over 1,142 reviews and a 4.5 stars rating.

Our final bag with yoga mat holder, the MatPak. Yoga Rat has been making great yoga products at a very affordable price for quite awhile. Just like the beloved Yoga Rat Towel, the yoga rucksack MatPak gets it done. Hybrid design so you can carry with one strap like a sling, or use two straps like a backpack. Plenty of space for your gear. Similar to the Manduka Yoga Sak but the MatPak has more room to pack your stuff.

We travel just with carry-on luggage, Gianni with The North Face Router Daypack (41 L), me with The North Face Surge II Backpack (32 L). So far, we are very satisfied. Practical for taking flights, buses, easy to take with us anywhere. Enough space for all the gears we are carrying, too. The only potential downside of mine backpack is a bit tough back straps. But hopefully with tie they become softer and more adjusted to the body.

Good call with only carry-on luggage – glad to hear it working out for you. We looked at both the Router and Surge II – both are sweet packs! Do you also carry smaller day packs? I’m trying to decide if I should pick up a tiny collapsible drawstring day pack or an actual sturdy day pack.

Great roundup of backpacks! The Minaal looks really good but I don’t think its released yet at this point in time. I’m also concerned about its build quality…. its quite a new brand compared to the others on the list.

I was thinking of getting a Goruck because the molle webbing seems perfect for hooking up yoga mats and other types of gear. It’s expensive but I’ve not seen any bad reviews of it so far online! 🙂Marissa Lee recently posted…Practical Yet Pretty: The Cross Body Bag

I have a question. I will mainly be using my backpack to commute from home to work to yoga and then home again. With the Osprey bags, where are you putting your yoga mat? Will it stay in the front buckle area?

Hey Sadie – if you plan to roll your mat, you can definitely attach it on the front straps. Make sure to pull it really tight so it doesn’t fall off. Another option is to fold your mat and place in the bag (assuming your mat is foldable). Maybe bring your yoga mat to the store and play around with the backpack selection? Hope it works out for you!

Thanks for the comparison chart! The specifications you were looking far are very similar to what I think I want out of a new backpack. I’ve been using the same basic Jansport for the last 15 years, first through school and now through plenty of airports and trunks–so I’m pretty unfamiliar with all the different types of backpacks out there. I’m trying to educate myself before making a decision, and your review was really helpful.

You’re welcome Holly, hope the backpack search goes well. Nice work getting 15 years out of your Jansport!! I still have my Colombia backpack from 2002 ha ha. Let me know if you have any specific questions about these backpacks!

My beloved Osprey 90 Porter has been telling me for about a year that is about ready to retire. I replaced my very first pack (Greggory Palisade top-loader… yuk!) with the Osprey mid-way through my first year in Asia and I’ve loved it ever since. Obviously though I check the Osprey when I fly. I have a Crumpler Sinking Barge which carry on and I think is the best laptop+camera/small-stuff bag ever made… Oh I how I love that Crumpler bag, sadly no longer made or I’d buy a spare just in case.

What’s interesting is checking a bag has never really bothered me. Over the years though I’ve pared down what I carry and the Osprey 90 is just way bigger than it needs to be. It’s time to downsize. I have friends who are enamored by the Minall, but only because it was a Kickstarter campaign, not one of them actually owns the bag… heck they don’t really even travel much 😉

Anyway, what do you think of checking any of these these bags you’ve reviewed here? Durable enough?

Right now I’m strongly drawn to the Tortuga and Osprey 46L, although given my lack of aversion to checking bags I haven’t completely ruled out the the newer wheeled Osprey’s (seems like they have finally come down a bit in empty weight after a few years of being heavy monstrosities).Jon Brown recently posted…Travel is ruining all foods I love

Thanks for the thoughtful discussion here. Sad to retire your Osprey 90, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of use out of it. I use an Osprey Aether 70 for backpack camping and love it. Ha ha and yes we both hate toploaders 😉

Just looked up that Crumpler bag, it looks amazing. And funny because I’m in the market for a new daypack to fit my Mac Air, and Olympus Em5 (micro 4/3s) camera + 2 lens. Do you have any other suggestions?

I use the Tortuga and have had to check it a few times when flying on super budget airlines in Asia. Always handled great, no complaints, and I haven’t had to pay for checking it once. I can’t say how the Osprey Porter 46 would do checking, as I’ve never done it.

If you’re deciding between the Porter 46 and and the Tortuga, I would say Tortuga all day long. I’ve been traveling with it for the past 10 months and it’s been great. Holds a surprisingly large amount of stuff, fits comfortable, great organization, comfortable hip pads, and the laptop compartment is convenient in airports. And you can vertically attach a yoga mat to the side (rolled up)!

Funny about the Minaal. I’ve never touched one either, it looks sweet online, and a few other well respected travel bloggers have had good things to say. Who knows!

[…] If you too are having the carry on debate I recommend blogs such as Never Ending Voyage, The Yoga Nomads, Travel With This, Life to My Fullest, Her Packing List, The Savvy Backpacker, Tropical MBA and […]